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Miguel Navarro enjoys three-dimensional climbing in the Trebena area of Geyikbayiri, Turkey, Geyikbayiri is Turkey’s largest sport climbing area with over 1300 routes divided over 47 sectors, all within walking distance of the camping. Read more http://tiletozo.tumblr.com/post/155995771804 ...

alansupahtramp: Those who climb together stay together I don’t want a GF alpineminded: Anything is possible with the right mindset. Trust yourself and know your own capabilities. Read more http://just-climb-without-limits.tumblr.com/post/153226431902 alansupahtramp: Matth...

Chamonix Valley and the nearbyvalleys inSwitzerland and Italy offer some of the best ice climbing in the region. Only Cogne in Italy has more that 130 ice routes on some of the fines ice falls. We organise 3-day and 5-day courses for those who never ice climbed before or for those who have some pr...

Fingers crossed for a send today! Already missing those beautiful days climbing outside in Colorado. But now it’s time to stay focused and pack in some hours at the gym! I’ve really been starting to notice the improvements the @whitepineathletics training has made to my climbing. claire-bukows...

Fun boulders @rockcityclimb tonight in Hull Fun boulder session two days ago @dynochrom_frankfurt ☺ I had a good time with @fabi__dem figuring out this red boulder problem with my super elegant exit in the end Fun boulder session two days ago @dynochrom_frankfurt ☺ I had a good time with @fabi__dem figuring out this red boulder problem...

I had so much fun this evening. I haven’t been climbing or bouldering for a good couple of years, so it was enjoyable to be back. Can’t wait to start making improvements again ☺️ I had an awesome day, with an awesome family! This little one had some strength and courage hidden deep within! So beautiful to watch the fears dissolve into confi...

James Metzger on ‘Green Traverse V6/f7A’ at Stanage a few weeks ago, he stuck that move a few times but doing it in sequence is the real struggle. Even after it’s still quite easy to drop, seen a few people celebrate a bit too early on the final holds. We managed to jump over to The Roaches today with the great weather. It was as rammed as if it...

Wow what an incredible week, moved into the new place in Hurricane with @lemurhead & @carryingthesun two of the best roomies a guy could ask for! I now live 5 minutes from the hurricave which is our new gym apparently! Took turns working out cliff dweller with @carryingthesun and got some incredible shots, we shall see who gets it first A g...

You'll never work a day in your life if you love your job! This is a 3 day @mtntraining Rock Climbing Instructor course. During the 3 days you'll be taught everything you need to know to becoming a qualified Rock Climbing Instructor. All you have to do after the course is to practice everything you've learned and come back for a 2 day assessm...

DYNO DAY - this time I got all the way up! #climbing #climbingwall #girlswhoclimb #bouldering #dyno #jump Du bon bloc comme j’aime ça Drove to Boulder Canyon on Saturday to see the falls before the snow came #waterfall #waterfallsofcolorado #boulder #bouldercanyon #shorthike Driving to fort William... long day with my good mate can't wait to climb ...

In yoga, a simple sign of one’s experience is the quality of his or her down dog. It’s a basic pose that every experienced yogi has performed thousands of times. And after doing it thousands of times, it looks good. It’s strong, elegant, and clean.

In climbing, a simple sign of one’s experience is the quality of his or her footwork. An experienced, thoughtful climber moves with precision and grace. She doesn’t come off the wall unnecessarily, and she isn’t performing a 10-step tap dance before landing her foot in the right spot.

Over the past few years, I’ve taught hundreds of new climbers at both gyms and while working as a guide overseas. In addition to the fundamental guideline to climb with relaxed and straight arms, I’d suggest using good footwork with phrases like, focus on your feet, trust your feet, look for better feet, among others.

This footwork advice is common, but I think it overlooks the simplest—and quite possibly the most beneficial—advice a new (or any developing) climber could have: practice silent feet. Climb without being able to hear a single foot placement. It’s not quite feet, it’s silent feet. While it can be challenging, the simple practice is immensely rewarding.

In his article Whispers of Wisdom, famed Dawn Wall ascensionist Kevin Jorgeson explains how this technique was taught by his coach, Andrew Wallach, and it helped him “pare away slop and inefficiency.” He goes on to say: “Wallach’s exercise was simple: if your foot squeaked or smudged audibly when you placed it, punishment ensued — for me, this was a 200-foot gym traverse. Choose your own torture, but the key is to have someone nearby call you out.“

Benefits of silent feet

The practice of silent feet consistently nudges a climber’s focus toward her technique and helps prevent the common mistake of just looking up. The close attention on footwork will contribute to more efficient climbing, thereby helping to prevent fatigue and forearm pump. And lastly, practicing silent feet will naturally guide appropriate hip positioning and drastically improve body awareness.

Even for the most experienced climbers, practicing silent feet can be a grounding strategy when anxiety, fear, or fatigue arise. It’s quite common for feet to be the first aspect of a climber’s technique to flounder, but a returned attention to silent footwork will keep technique in check.

Put silent feet into practice

Warm-ups provide the ideal environment to dial in on silent footwork. Take the earphones out (for those that use them) and aim to go through your entire warm-up without once hearing your feet. It’s not easy! As you begin your normal climbing session, silent footwork should continue to be your aim and eventually, it will be automatic.

Don’t take the concept of silent footwork to be something you practice as a new climber and then grow out of. Instead, treat it as a foundational aspect of all your climbing and carry it with you throughout the lifetime of your climbing career.

Planet Mountain reports that Adam Ondra and Katharina Saurwein won the Arco KO Boulder contest. Katha actually had the best result on all four problems meanwhile Adam only won the final boulder. Runner-ups were Jan Hojer and Giorgia Tesio followed by Jeremy Bonder and Stasa Gejo. (c) Giulio Malfer

With regard to the Athletes' Commission Elections and to the Paraclimbing Commission Elections during the Paris World Championships 2016, we would like to remind you that the candidacy form is to be sent to the IFSC Office before the 1st September.